


Never Again

by purplechucks



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:04:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplechucks/pseuds/purplechucks
Summary: "Amongst the blur of everyone running around and exiting the theatre, Jack can only see Davey staring at him with complete shock and heart breaking disappointment."Eventually, Jack tells Davey why he betrayed them all.





	Never Again

Jack never wants to be the reason Davey’s face falls like that ever again. Never does he wish to see that expression on his friend’s face period, but knowing he’s caused it somehow makes everything in his chest seize up and his vision narrows. Amongst the blur of everyone running around and exiting the theatre, Jack can only see Davey staring at him with complete shock and heart breaking disappointment. 

“Davey I-” he reaches out a hand, but Davey turns and leaves in the direction Les ran in. “Davey!”

Then he starts running too, in the opposite direction because all he is is a goddamn coward who won’t go after his friend even though Pulitzer had pretty much threatened their lives. He gets to the roof of the lodge, and Katherine’s already waiting for him.

“They said you stole food and clothing, it was for those boys wasn’t it?” she asks, staring at his drawings. “I don’t understand, why would you turn your back on them now?”

“Don’t you get it?” he says, louder than he means to, pulling himself up the ladder. “I am doing it for them! You heard your father, he was going to make sure they all got put in the refuge. Crutchie, Davey, Les.”

Katherine smiles “Luckily for you, I have an idea.”

She pulls out her article, and explains the concept of their own newspaper. He goes along with it immediately, words pouring out in quick succession so they’re pretty much talking on top of each other, until Katherine starts to climb down from the roof. 

“Hold on a second,” he says. 

She looks up, confused. “What?”

“What’s this to you? And I don’t mean the strike. Me and the fellas, we’ve liked having you around. But what happens when we’re not some story to you anymore, huh? I know girls like you don’t become friends with guys like me. The newsies are my brothers, I can’t let you do that to them.”

Katherine sighs, and climbs back up the ladder. “You really snuck up on me Jack Kelly. You all did. I will admit, I was just thinking about the story at first, but you all mean a lot to me now, and not even my father can stop that. I’m on your side.”

“For sure?”

Katherine giggles. “For sure,” she repeats, dropping her voice an octave and imitating his accent. 

So much relief floods through Jack that he doesn’t have timed to be annoyed at her as they climb back down to the street. Katherine heads straight for the World offices, telling him she’ll find people to help along the way. His first stop is the Jacobs’ home, though Jack only has a vague idea of what building they live in. Lucky for him, David is sitting outside the steps of a building on the second street he looks down. It’s late; they’re the only two people on this street, and yet Davey doesn’t look up as Jack approaches. 

“Davey,” he says, not even surprised when Davey still won’t look at him in response. “Are you okay? Is Les okay? Did you get home safe?”

“We’re fine,” Davey looks up, but not at Jack, just straight ahead. “Thanks for leaving me to explain to my brother why someone he looks up to almost  _ hit _ him.”

“I’m so sorry-”

“Save it,” Davey replies harshly. “Why are you here Jack?”

“We’re putting Katherine’s plan into action. It’s time to print our own pape.”

“We’re going to do what?”

Jack explains the idea to break into the world, and how they would use the old printing press he found. 

“And we give the papers to every kid in this city who can read, and ask them to join the strike with us?” Davey asks. 

Jack grins. “So you’re in?”

Davey sighs. “Les is going to kill me if he misses this. Hold on.”

Davey goes into the building, and returns with a sleepy Les on his back. Les’ eyes are barely open, and his blinks at Jack in surprise. 

“Jack?” he says. “What’cha doing? Why’d you side with Pulitzer?” 

“It’s a long story kid. I promise I’ll tell you and Davey, but right now I need you to find every newsie you can, okay? We’re about to win this.”

“Okay”

Jack turns to Davey. 

“Find as many of the guys as you can and meet us around the back of the world offices, on Patterson Lane. Katherine should already be there.”

Davey gives him a small smile as they part ways, and Jack thinks they might just be okay. 

 

\---

 

Davey says “It’s good to have you back” and Jack swears he can suddenly breathe easier. 

“Shut up,” is his reply, but what he means is  _ I’m so glad you’re okay.  _

_ That we’re okay.  _

 

\---

 

“What’s Santa Fe got that New York ain’t? Tarantulas?”

Jack has to admit, that’s a good one. 

“Better yet, what’s New York got that Santa Fe ain’t?”

Katherine, as always, is right. 

“New York’s got us, and we’re family.”

Crutchie’s right too. They all are. He’s got the friends who are practically family that he was telling Crutchie about. Does he really need anything else?

“C’mon! Papes for the Newsies! Line up boys!”

“Jack? Are you in or are you out?”

Davey looks at him, with his hopeful eyes and nervous lip chewing, and Jack begins to wonder how he could ever think of saying goodbye to that. He slowly makes his way over to the booth, the boys laughing and telling him to hurry up, and he when he slams down that quarter he can’t help but relish in their cheering. 

“Newsies! Hit the streets!”

“Come to the Deli tonight” Katherine tells all the boys as they pass. “Dinner’s on me. Or, well, on my father I guess.”

“Well how could I ever say no to that,” Race grins. “Don’t become a stranger now, do ya here? You’re one of us no whether you like it or not.”

“Yeah,” Albert agrees. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Jack and Davey walk out of the distribution centre, Les already racing ahead of them ready to perform every trick he’s learnt on unsuspecting adults on their way to work. They get stopped by all kinds of kids; newsies, and factory boys, and girls from the sweatshops, all thanking them for their work. They walk three blocks before either of them can sell their first paper. 

“You ever going to tell me why you did what you did yesterday?” Davey asks him between yelling out the headlines. 

“Exclusive on page three folks! Trouble continues in the Bronx! Could it come all the way down to our end of the city?” Jack calls out, before lowering his voice. “Now’s maybe not the best time Davey.”

“Before dinner then. At least tell me it wasn’t for the money.”

“No, never,” Jack assures him. “I just… I needed to protect you and Les, okay?”

“Me and Les what… fine, not now, but you answer my questions today.”

“I promise.”

The headlines aren’t too difficult to sell when they put a gentle spin on them, and some people are just glad enough to be getting the news again that they don’t mind what’s inside. They pass off their last ones as people are coming home from work in the evening (Les, as always, finishing his supply well before them) and head to Jacobi’s Deli. 

“You go right on in Les, we’ll just be a minute,” Jack says, holding the door open for him. Les goes inside happily and joins the other newsies. Jack takes Davey’s wrist and pulls him towards the nearest alleyway. 

“So,” he begins when he’s sure they can’t be heard. “I owe you an explanation.”

“Sound about right,” Davey says. “What’s this about protecting Les and I?”

“He threatened you, Davey, he threatened to hurt you and Les and put you in the refuge. He was going to make sure Crutchie never got out. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Pulitzer? Threatened me to get you to comply?” Davey looks both confused and terrified by the concept. Jack can tell he doesn’t understand why that would have worked. 

“Yeah.”

“You couldn’t have known that he’d actually get to us-”

“He would have,” Jack interrupts. “He would have, and then it would’ve been my fault that he got to you, can’t you see? I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Do you think I can not look after myself or something? You can’t just be thinking about one person Jack, you have to see the bigger picture!” Davey’s voice grows louder as he speaks. 

“You still don’t understand!” Jack can feel his confession bubbling to the surface, and it gets harder and harder to suppress. 

“What don’t I understand?”

“That I don’t know what I’d do with myself if anything ever happened to you!”

Those words make them both pause. Jack’s pretty sure he’s said too much. Pretty sure that Davey’s about to walk away. Pretty sure he’s hinted to Davey something Davey might not want to know. 

Luckily Davey has been full of surprises since the moment Jack met him. In a very un-Davey-Jacobs-like way, he backs Jack up against the wall of the alleyway. They look at each other for a moment; a solid moment where they seem to be saying hundreds of things without even opening their mouths. Then they’re kissing. 

It’s a blur. All Jack can think is  _ Davey Davey Davey.  _ How Davey’s mouth is on his and how his hand is on Davey’s cheek and how everything about him is just so nice and warm. When they part, Davey hides his face in Jack’s shoulder, letting out a soft, breathy laugh. 

“What on earth am I going to do with you Jack Kelly?”

“Well actually I could think of a number of things…”

Davey hits him on the shoulder and rolls his eyes. “C’mon, best not keep everyone waiting.”

 

\----

 

Jacobi’s, as is always the case when the newsies are involved, is loud. Really loud. Tables upon tables overflow with newsies and food and the occasional abandoned hat or vest. Mr Jacobi has a copy of the Newsies Banner pinned up behind the counter; insisting he’s going to keep it forever. 

“Hey Jack, you never told us what happened in Pulitzer’s office,” Crutchie says, planting himself in a spare seat on their table. 

“Yeah,” Race agrees. “Oh, what I would have given to see Pulitzer’s face when you marched in there with our pape.”

Jack and Davey exchange smiles. Jack launches himself into the tale of their arguments with Pulitzer. This time when he embellishes the details Davey doesn’t correct him, only rolls his eyes, fondness evident on his face. 

“- And so Pulitzer’s all ‘a man who doesn’t act for himself is a fool’ and out of nowhere, I tell ya,  _ nowhere _ , Davey goes ‘so what does that make you?’”

Everyone within earshot of the conversation bursts out laughing, some reach over to pat Davey on the back and offer him congratulations. Like always, Davey shies from the attention, though Jack can clearly see the small smile on his face. He goes on to mention it’s the angriest he’s ever seen Davey and is interrupted by Les. 

“Nuh-uh, Davey doesn’t get angry!” he protests from his perch on Katherine’s knee. 

“Unfortunately Les, my father happens to make even the nicest people in the world pretty upset,” Katherine explains. “He is also a fool.”

“You said it, not us,” Race says, raising his glass. The other newsies do too, and whether they’re actually raising their glasses to the notion that Pulitzer is a fool, Jack doesn’t know. 

The evening seems to go far too quickly, and soon they’re all piling out of the deli and onto the street, most of the boys heading down the street towards the lodging house. Katherine waves goodbye and heads north, hoping to get home before the sun completely sets in the sky. By some sort of unspoken agreement, Jack ends up walking the Jacobs’ brothers home to their building. 

When they arrive outside Davey suddenly stops and looks up, worry etched into his face. 

“Something wrong?” Jack asks. 

“I just remembered Les and I were out all night and then all day without coming home.”

“And…”

“I, uh… we didn’t tell them where we were.”

“We’re going to be in so much trouble,” Les suddenly realises, taking Davey’s hand. 

Jack doesn’t quite understand, but he nods sympathetically anyway. Davey convinces Les to go up first, leaving the two of them alone for a moment. 

“Sure you don’t want to come up and distract my parents so they forget I broke the rules?” Davey asks. 

“Not tonight. I should really get back. Make sure Crutchie gets settled in again.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow then.”

Jack takes Davey’s hand for a moment, when he’s sure they’re out of the way of prying eyes. “We’re going to be okay, right?”

It’s a moment of vulnerability saved by Davey squeezing his hand accompanied by a reassuring word. “Sure.”

Jack waves goodbye and leaves, whistling as he wanders down the street and heads back to the lodge. Never again does he want to see Davey look at him the way he did the night before. He doesn’t want to be the cause of Davey’s disappointment or sadness. And with the way the future’s looking, maybe he’ll just be the opposite.


End file.
